PBA: Magnolia rebounds, sends Blackwater to 0-6 card

Marc Barroca vs Blackwater defenders. PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—Magnolia bounced back against listless Blackwater, taking a commanding 94-78 victory in the PBA Philippine Cup Friday at DHVSU Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.

The Hotshots, who improved to 5-1, suffered the gut-wrenching 95-94 loss last Wednesday when they squandered a 13-point lead in the final two minutes against Meralco.

Heeding the lessons from their loss, the Hotshots quickly dispatched the Bossing and built a 13-point lead, 70-57, heading into the fourth.

With a strong second half, Magnolia took a 19-point buffer midway through the fourth when Mark Barroca converted on a jumper for the 85-66 lead with 6:25 to play.

“We’re very sad and frustrated after the [Meralco] game, but it was good and bad for us,” said Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero. “It was bad because we had control of the game for 46 minutes but we lost focus and we lost the game.”

“It’s good because it happened early in the season in the conference.”

Barroca finished with 16 points and dished out seven assists to lead five Hotshots who scored in double figures.

Ian Sangalang also had 16 points for Magnolia while Calvin Abueva had a 14-point and 10-rebound double-double.

Kelly Nabong led the Bossing with 19 points and 14 rebounds but his strong performance underneath wasn’t enough as they dropped to a league-worst 0-6 record.